As the Wolves head to Crypto.com Arena with a 3-1 series lead, they have the opportunity to vanquish the ghosts of Minnesota’s past. Can Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Julius Randle rise to the occasion to finish off the Lakers once and for all?

Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers – Game 5
Date: April 30th, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM CDT
Location: Crypto.com Arena
Television Coverage: TNT/TruTV/MAX/FanDuel Sports Network North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio

There are playoff games you live through.

And then there are playoff games that live in you.

If you’ve been a Timberwolves fan for the past 22 years, you know exactly which side of history Game 5 against the Lakers falls on.

This one?

This one is personal.

You have to go all the way back to 2003 to truly appreciate the gravity of what’s at stake tonight.

I was a 20-year-old college junior, living and dying with every Timberwolves possession. After six straight seasons of first-round heartbreaks — dragged off the floor by teams better, deeper, or just plain luckier — we finally, finally had a real shot.

Home court advantage? Check.

MVP-caliber Kevin Garnett? Check.

Troy Hudson temporarily transforming into the second coming of Reggie Miller? Absolutely check.

We went up 2-1 on the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, the basketball Death Star of the early 2000s, and it felt like the curse was finally lifting. And then… we ran into the buzzsaw.

Shaq turned into Godzilla. Kobe started hitting those dead-eyed, soul-crushing daggers. Our thin bench collapsed. KG was left trying to carry a roster full of “Wait, he’s still in the league?” guys.

Series over. Wolves sent packing. Heartbreak Level: 9/10.

2004?

We leveled up. The Big Three — KG, Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell — finally took Minnesota to the heights we always believed possible.

• Beat Denver for the first series win in franchise history.
• Beat Sacramento in a bloodbath Game 7 at Target Center (you know the one — KG on the scorer’s table, towel waving, the closest thing Minneapolis has ever had to a basketball coronation).

This was supposed to be it. Our ticket to the NBA Finals. And then, once again, the Lakers showed up like the final boss that never dies. This time Shaq and Kobe brought Karl Malone and Gary Payton with them — a Hail Mary superteam, hobbling through injuries and dysfunction.

But it didn’t matter.

Cassell hurt his hip. KG was forced to play point guard. We lost Game 6 at Staples Center. Another dream murdered at the hands of Los Angeles.

Heartbreak Level: 10/10.

Fast-forward twenty years to 2024.

New era. New hope.

Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert pulled off one of the greatest playoff runs in Wolves history — sweeping Phoenix, and toppling the defending champs on Denver’s floor in a Game 7 comeback for the ages.

It was supposed to be the arrival moment. The validation after 20 years of wandering through NBA purgatory.

And then Luka Dončić ripped our hearts out.

Two straight gut-wrenching losses at home, punctuated by Luka dragging Rudy out to the perimeter and humiliating him on the game-winner heard ‘round the world.

Another dream dead.

Heartbreak Level: 11/10.

And now — finally — here we are.

• Wolves up 3-1 on the Lakers.
• Target Center still shaking from Game 4.
• Luka and LeBron staggering toward the finish line.
• The national media clinging to their tired narratives about the “grit” of the Lakers instead of acknowledging what’s actually happening:

The Wolves are better. Period.

Win tomorrow night, and Anthony Edwards will have personally sent Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic home in the span of 12 months.

Win tomorrow night, and 22 years of Wolves playoff trauma gets burned to the ground in the best way imaginable — on their floor, with their fans booing and streaming for the exits.

Win tomorrow night, and we finally start writing new history instead of living under the weight of the old.

Keys to Game 5

This isn’t just about surviving. It’s about finishing.

You don’t let Jason Voorhees get back up.

You don’t let Michael Myers crawl off the stretcher.

You drive the stake all the way through.

Here’s how it has to happen:

1. Anthony Edwards: Be The Superstar

The final 4 minutes of Game 3.

The fourth quarter of Game 4.

That’s the Anthony Edwards that can win you a championship.

Not future superstar. Not “one day he’ll be great.”

Right now. Right here.

What we’ve seen is Edwards thriving exactly when the Lakers — and LeBron, and Luka — are at their most desperate. He’s not just scoring. He’s controlling the game like he’s playing chess, two moves ahead of everyone else.

And there’s a clear formula: When Ant is in constant attack mode — getting to the rim, getting to the line, forcing the Lakers to scramble — the Wolves are unstoppable.

It’s not about dropping 44 points (though hey, nobody’s complaining).

It’s about pace. Pressure. Relentlessness.

Keep the foot on their throats.

2. Jaden McDaniels: Two-Way Killer

Let’s keep it real:

• In the Wolves’ Game 1 win: McDaniels dropped 25 points.
• In the Game 3 comeback: 30 points — led the team.
• In Game 4: A strong 16 points — critical buckets when the Lakers made their push.

In the only Wolves loss? He had just 8 points. Not a coincidence. When McDaniels is aggressive offensively, the floor opens up for everybody.

And defensively? He’s been the only guy who can even sort of keep Luka from completely burning the house down.

This is a two-way series for McDaniels. If he keeps attacking — hitting corner threes, cutting, finishing at the rim — Minnesota’s offense hums at another level. McDaniels doesn’t have to play out of his mind tonight. But he has to play confident. Attack, attack, attack.

3. Julius Randle: Stay Controlled, Stay Aggressive

Randall was massive early in Game 4 — physically overwhelming Lakers defenders, bullying them into the paint, and giving Ant the breathing room to attack. But the most important thing?

He didn’t force it.

No iso-heavy black hole. No bad shots early in the shot clock. Just good, physical, in-flow basketball. That’s the version of Julius Randle that gives the Wolves their “Plan B” if Ant gets double-teamed at halfcourt.

Randle doesn’t have to be a superhero. He just has to stay within himself — power to the rim, crash the glass, kick out when needed.

Simple. Efficient. Devastating.

4. Rudy Gobert: Own the Paint

Let’s be real — Rudy has been good defensively this series.

• Stripping Luka.
• Controlling the rim.
• Switching better than expected.

But where the Wolves really need Rudy in Game 5 is on the glass and in the putback game. There were too many missed rebounds in Games 3 and 4 that gave the Lakers second (and third) chances. Rudy doesn’t have to score 20 points. But he can’t let Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura feast on loose boards and swing momentum.

Secure the rebounds. Be the hammer defensively.

Make the Lakers feel it every time they drive.

5. Hit The Open Threes

This isn’t rocket science. In Game 1, the Wolves were 21-for-42 from deep. Absolute flamethrower mode.

Since then? A little spottier.

Open threes from guys like Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo — they have to fall.

You know the refs are gonna do everything they can to get the Lakers into the bonus by the second quarter. You can’t rely on foul calls. You have to make shots.

Hit your threes, open up a lead that’s too big for them to screw you out of, and leave Crypto.com silent and awaiting the inevitable as the fourth quarter rolls around.

Final Thought

This isn’t just another Game 5.

This is two decades of heartbreak on the line.

This is Kevin Garnett’s ghost screaming from the scorer’s table.

This is the end of a Lakers dynasty that’s tormented us longer than most Wolves fans have been alive.

End the chapter.

Close the book.

Bury the demons.

This is the night the Minnesota Timberwolves stop being the underdog story and become the nightmare.

Let’s go. Wolves in five.